On the day Steve's life came to its natural end, amidst the sea of flowers blooming in the ruins of Millennium Castle—his consciousness didn't fade as he expected. Instead, there was an incomparable sense of "distance."
Time and space lost all meaning. It felt as if some unseen, gentle, and yet precise hand had lifted him directly from the great river of history.
Everything he had ever experienced—from Misaki Town in 1989, through the interstellar journeys between two stars a billion years hence—every memory, emotion, adventure, regret, all transformed into a luminous, sparkling current encircling the purest core of his soul.
Then, a vast, emotionless, ancient voice began to reverberate directly from the depths of his soul, bearing the full weight of the history of "humanity" as a species.
["…Observation in progress…"]
["The value of the individual soul is under evaluation…"]
["Scanning the record…"]
["Record Name: Steve Weis…"]
["Assessment: Alaya-level strength."]
["Threats removed: Predator Planet, Ultimate One (ORT)."]
["Civilization Continuity: Ensuring the survival of human civilization for over a billion years."]
["Worldline Stabilization: Returning the world to its trunk, creating a new human route…"]
["…End of Judgment…"]
The grand voice paused for a moment, as if engaged in calculations beyond precedent. Then the verdict continued:
["Assessment passed."]
["Your soul is eligible to be engraved upon the Throne."]
["Now, we will disassemble, refine, and reconstruct your existence…"]
["You are a visitor from that world, and also a voyager among the stars. You are a weaver of laws and a savior of civilizations.
This complex spirit foundation has bestowed you with multiple aspects. Above all, 'Salvation' is your core.
Your true essence is defined as [Saver]."]
At that instant, the long river of memory that surrounded Steve boiled, shrank, and condensed. His entire life was reforged by this immense force, transcending logic or comprehension.
It was over in a heartbeat.
When Steve regained his senses, he found himself in a strange, wondrous space. There was no form or presence—only countless heroic souls radiating quietly, like stars in the night sky. His arrival caused a new, unprecedentedly brilliant "star" to shine in this eternal firmament.
["Your record is now inscribed here."]
["As a 'Counter Force' safeguarding human history, await the call."]
The grand voice faded, leaving Steve to observe his surroundings in this strange Throne of Heroes. It seemed the space could be reshaped to match his own wishes.
So… Am I really becoming a Heroic Spirit?
How do I put this… I can't seem to feel any real emotions.
Anyway, first let me move to a more suitable place.
Snap—
With a snap of his fingers, the world reshaped itself into a magnificent palace hall at the center of which Steve leisurely approached a golden throne. He sat, looking around in satisfaction. Time was irrelevant here; he could observe the rise and fall of uncountable worlds from this eternal, transcendent viewpoint.
As the "Saver," Steve could clearly perceive the purest prayers of souls on the verge of despair—from different eras, worlds, and timelines—their silent cries for "salvation."
[Savior…! Please, return once more to the man who once rescued the Human Federation! Only you can save us again!]
[The Ether Dragon is wreaking havoc in the colony! Only you can solve this crisis!]
[Please, just this once! It's the grand Servant Cosmic Invasion event! Only you can bear the flag to save the world!]
…In Steve's world, the pleas were so overwhelming he had to forcibly mute the "relic summoning" points to clear his head.
Really… Don't bother me over trivial matters like this. Why do people always call on the dead for help when faced with hardship? I worked all my life and cleaned up enough messes—I'm not here to wipe your behinds after death…
Even while he grumbled about the endless pleas, he noticed that across all parallel timelines, many requests remained—bringing a subtle emotional shift.
He had transformed into a different sort of being, ever ready to answer these prayers and descend into suffering. But excessive strength brought its own hidden problems.
Steve's power was simply too overwhelming. It was obvious that if he entered an ordinary Holy Grail War as "Saver," the result would be almost hopeless for everyone else. He could use super-brain and superpowers to simply locate and defeat the other servants, ending the affair in one night. Even the top- or Grand-class servants would have to kneel at the mere hint of his [Geo-Gravitational Star Cannon] attack.
And honestly, did he really even need a Holy Grail—a simple, efficient magical crucible? With enough time, he could create any item needing similarly vast energy—possibly forgoing even the usual rituals.
So, after some thought, Steve decided: If he wanted to enjoy himself in the mortal realm, it'd be better to fish quietly. He wasn't here for the thrill of crushing all before him, but to protect and guide "possibility."
Wars without suspense smothered that very potential.
Thus, as Steve's spirit flattened on his golden throne, he heard a call from Fuyuki City, circa 1994—a mix of insane curiosity and a faint plea for help.
At that moment, he made his choice: To suppress the overwhelming [Saver] foundation and compress it into a more standard vessel—the [Caster] class.
This was a self-imposed seal, and a gesture of respect for the nature of "stories."
…Let's enter this interesting parallel world and have some fun as the "weakest class" in a normal Holy Grail War.
Incidentally, Marisbury, who once tried to send a robot legion to kill me in my world, also had his skull cracked by me as some petty consolation for the bad mood left after the FGO 2.0 Final Chapter…
…
PS: Read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode